The Red Turtle

“The Red Turtle" ( 2016 ) is an animated feature produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Michael Duda de Wit ( who was awarded an Oscar animated short " Father and Daughter " earlier in 2000 ), a meeting of East and West talents and minds indeed.

It was a sublime experience watching this wordless film.  Unlike most animated titles, this one has only a simple story which tells about a shipwrecked man stranding on a deserted island.  What is not simple is the creation of a fantastical world so magical yet as realistic as can be in its beautiful depiction of the landscapes we saw on the screen.  

The colors of the beach scene changes from hour to hour.  At times it can be a splash of rainbow colors, sometimes different shades of grey, other times complete golden, most of the time it is simply the white and beige sand of the extending beach connected to green to turquoise blue sea water as it reaches to a streak of lighted horizon with dark clouds hovering above in the sky.  It is at once transcendental and mesmerizing.  Just let yourself soak in the viewing and enjoy the sight and soundless atmosphere.

The tranquility of the landscape belied the caprice of the sea which could turn wild at short notice.   When tsunami hit, the bamboo forest was completely depleted and pieces of broken woods littered all over the sandy beach now rested in devastation.  The same sea could also be where the young boy riding high on top of a wave or swimming in it with his friends the turtles. 

This is a film beautifully rendered about the unspoiled nature like many of Ghibli's animated titles such as: "Spirited Away", "My Neighbor Totoro", "Princess Mononoke" to name just a few.  The man in the beginning simply wanted to get away from the island and tried all his might making rafts to escape. During his solitude he began to look at his surroundings somewhat differently.  Befriending  four tiny scuttle crabs was a good start.  Then he crossed path with the Red Turtle and the course of his life was completely altered since.

It is also a film meditating on men's relationship with nature.  In an island amidst the boundless sea, a friend be it another human or creature, a companion nonetheless is what he wanted and needed the most.  The wordless story says a lot more than words can tell us.

Grace Liu